Vehicle-tire.



C. W. STEWART.

VEHICLE TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4. |914.

Patented my 3, 1917;

51A/vanto@ Zan d @ewa r CLAUDE W. STEWART, OF 'MARTINSBUR/Gr, WESTVIRGINIA.

VEHICLE-TIRE.

Specification of Letters Patent. l Patented July 3, 1917.

Application led September 4, 1914. Serial No. 860,250.

'o all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CLAUDE W. STEWART, a citizen of the United States,residing at Martinsburg, in the county of Berkeley and State of TestVirginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Tires, ofwhich the followingy is a specification.

This invention relates to vehicle tires, the obj ect in View being toprovide a flexible and resilient supporter adapted particularly forsustaining in operative condition the outer case of a pneumatic tire, soas to dispense with the inner tube and the inflation of the tire, thesaid supporter being designed not only to take the place of the innertube and the usual body of compressed air but being also puncture proof,thus doing away with,l

punctures and blow-outs.

A further object of the invention is to provide in connection with saidresilient tire supporter, means for limiting the degree to which thetire may be compressed when subjected to rough usage.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as hereindescribed, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a cross section through a tireconstructed in accordance with the present invention, showing thepreferred embodiment thereof.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section through the same.

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of one of the springs.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates an outer case or shoe such as isnow commonly employed in pneumatic tires said outer case being providedwith the usual clencher beads 2 which are adapted to be held by theflanges 3 of a rim 4. This rim 4t is shown as of sectional construction,being divided along a central longitudinal line as indicated at 5 thetwo sections being held in proper relation to each other and the tire bymeans of a locking band 6 formed with holes to receive lugs 6 on the rimsections.

The invention contemplates the use of a resilient supporter for theouter case 1, said supporter comprising an inner member 7 and an outermember 8. The inner member 7 which may be termed the core of thesupporter is in the form of an endless tube the same being practicallyrigid or new' resilient and extending continuously around the rim of thewheel and within the tire.

Securedvto the inner or Vrim face ofthe member 7 is a circular plate orstrip 9 provided on the face thereof adjacent to the core 7 with acentral spacing rib 10 thereby forming slots or sockets 11 at oppositesides of the rib 10 in which the extremities ofA the springs forming theouter resilient member 8 of the supporter are received and held, theedge portions of the strip 9 forming flanges which lie against the outerfaces of the springsr12 and retain said springs in place. Y Y

The outer resilient portion of the sup- .porter is Composed of severalsuperimposed circular series of springs one of which is shown at 12 inFig. 3. These springs as shown in Fig. 2 are arranged so as to overlapor break joint with each other and also with their adjacent edges out ofactual contact with each other thereby enabling each and every spring tobend freely without the presence of any grinding contact between theedges of the springs. Further more by overlapping the springs in themanner shown, they mutually support and reinforce each other whilepreserving the rotundity of the tire and holding the outer case 1eiiciently distended. The extremities or margins 13 of the springs areall held in the sockets 11 formed between the projecting margins of theplate or strip 9 and the adjacent outer face of the core or inner member7 as clearly shown in Fig. 1. Each of the springs 12 is furthermore madesomewhat wider along its outer tread portion than at the margins 13thereof in view of the fact that the tire is of greater circumference atthe tread than at the rim face thereof. Furthermore each of the springs12 is made slightly concavo-convex or rounding in a directionlongitudinally of the complete tire so that it will conform to thegeneral circumference and contour of the tire.

Under the arrangement above described, the inner member or core 7 formsan eilicient support for confining the remainder of' when applied to atire and rim in the man"- ner illustrated and described, does away. withthe necessity o t inflating the tire and also dispenses with tli'euse ofan inner tube, the tire being sustained in proper condition by means ofsaid supporter, and the main AAbody of the supporter being safeguardedby the interiorly arranged core or auxiliary supporter which vserves "tocushion orlimit the inward movement of the tread portion of tbe tire:india-lso limit the degree to which the said tread'pr't'ionof the 'tiremay spring inwardly. The 'tire asl a Wliole isV thus rendered puncture'proof, blu'f-oi'ltC and it is unnece's"sary toro'arry an e'xtra tire orouter Casing.' The tirefof eourse, alsoA elil'ninate's the usual 'andeXtra inner tubes.

What I Claim is y The Combination iiith af resilient tire oas-A i'ng'substantially r'undf in cross' seetoj,` or an annular 'endless tubularand imperf'oraie core round and' o(")ii'tinuuisV in oris's section" andhaving a diameter greater in cross see` a circular series of springseach in the form of atransversely split 'annulus lyin'g'in` supporting"Contact With' the inside' surface of tlie tread Wall'and side Walls ofthe CasingV and; in' eccentri'o'relation tothe core, the eX- t'remitie'soft ea'oli spring extending toward eaohother and being insrtedbetweenthe side margins of said? retaining strip and the core and abuttingtlierib of 'said strip;

In testimony whereof I aiiX my signature'

